Mausoleum of Yahya Abu al-Qasim

Mausoleum of Yahya Abu al-Qasim (Arabic: مرقد الامام يحيى أبو القاسم, romanizedMashhad Yahya Abul Kassem) was a historic shrine and mosque located in Mosul, Iraq. In 2014 the mosque and shrine were destroyed by an explosive device claimed by soldiers of the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant.[2][3]

Mausoleum of Yahya Abu al-Qasim
Arabic: مرقد الامام يحيى أبو القاسم, romanizedMashhad Yahya Abul Kassem
Mausoleum of Yahya Abu al-Qasim
Religion
AffiliationIslam
Ecclesiastical or organisational statusMosque and shrine
StatusDestroyed
Location
LocationMosul, Iraq
Mausoleum of Yahya Abu al-Qasim is located in Iraq
Mausoleum of Yahya Abu al-Qasim
Location in Iraq
Geographic coordinates36°21′17″N 43°07′23″E / 36.3547°N 43.123°E / 36.3547; 43.123[1]
Architecture
TypeSeljuk architecture
FounderBadr al-Din Lu'lu'
Date established799 CE
Destroyed2014
Interior area1,000 square metres (11,000 sq ft)

History

edit

The mausoleum was located in Al-Shifa' neighborhood on the riverbank of the Tigris, nearby the Bash Tapia Castle. The mausoleum was built in 1239 during the reign of the Zangid ruler Badr al-Din Lu'lu'.[4] It was built over a tomb dedicated to Yahya ibn Al-Qasim, a descendant of the first Shia Imam and fourth Rashidun Caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib.[5]

In 2001, the new mosque was built next to the mausoleum, and the area reached approximately 1,000 square metres (11,000 sq ft).[6]

Construction

edit

The architectural design of the structure is considered to be based on Seljuk architecture, including the columns, mihrab, and conical dome.[6] The main building is a cube-shaped structure topped by a pyramidal roof raised on an octagonal drum, with an inner layer of muqarnas inside the pyramidal roof. On the north of the building was an entrance into the tomb.[7] The building is not oriented towards Mecca and features a mihrab in the southwest corner of the tomb.[7] The niches flanking the door of the building contained turquoise bricks forming interlocking stars and octagons, and had Kufic inscriptive panels below the crowning arch. There are similar niches on the west and south façades, placed on either side of a window.

The east façade of the tomb is covered by two heavy buttresses that were constructed to prevent the structure collapsing into the Tigris River due to erosion.[7]

Demolition

edit

In 2014, the whole mosque and the mausoleum was destroyed by an explosive device claimed by soldiers of the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant as part of the campaign to demolish all the historic mausoleums and shrines in Mosul.[2][3]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ US Department of Defense. "049. Mosul - Imam Yahya ibn al-Qasim Mashhad". Iraq Significant Site. Colorado State University. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  2. ^ a b مسلحون يفجرن مرقد الإمام يحيى ابو القاسم غربي الموصل. Al Sumaria TV. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "داعش" يفجر مرقد الامام يحيى ابو القاسم غربي الموصل. Al Masalah. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  4. ^ "Mausoleum of Yahya Abu al-Qasim". Archnet. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  5. ^ "Archnet". www.archnet.org. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  6. ^ a b دليل الجوامع والمساجد التراثية والأثرية - ديوان الوقف السني. p.140.
  7. ^ a b c "Archnet". www.archnet.org. Retrieved 2022-06-02.